Callie Khouri

Khouri began as a producer of music videos and production coordinator of the "Rigoletto" segment of the film "Aria" (1987) before writing the script for the controversial "Thelma & Louise" (1991)....
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Music from TV drama Nashville will be broadcast live from the show's set during its first episode when it returns later this year (14). The series, starring Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton, follows the lives of fictional country music stars and regularly features concert performances.
In a treat for fans, the music components of the upcoming season three premiere will be broadcast live from the set as the show is shot.
Creator Callie Khouri tells Radio Times, "We want people to know what it's really like. The live music here is such a huge presence in our show that we thought maybe we could find a way to share with the world what that feels like for real.
"It's a huge thing to take on, but I think we're up to it. Barring some technical, possibly weather-related problem, I think it's a fun thing to try and do. We're always looking for new ways to challenge ourselves and just thought this would be really great."
Nashville will return to U.S. screens in the autumn (14).

ABC Television Network
Nashville, the brainchild of Academy Award-winning writer Callie Khouri (Thelma &amp; Louise), started off with a ton of promise. The pilot was heavily promoted and the audience that tuned in was treated to an inside look at the clashing generations within the country music industry... a real life storyline that has been repeating ever since the advent of rock-and-roll. Connie Britton seemed to take her Friday Night Lights character and make her a successful music icon along the lines of Reba McEntire, while Hayden Panettiere schemed convincingly as the up-and-coming singer who's part Taylor Swift, part ice princess.
Early on, the show focused on the yin and the yang of Britton and Panettiere's relationship, with the former's Rayna Jaymes stuck in a career rut and Panettiere's Juliette Barnes more interested in kicking the established Queen of Country while she's down than helping her get back up. Throw in Charles Esten's caught-in-the-middle guitarist and there was plenty of drama to go around. Certainly, there were some soap opera elements — the parentage of Rayna's older daughter and the political machinations of her husband and powerful father among them — but as long as Britton and Panettiere were at the center the show stayed fairly even keel.
Then came the back half of the first season and things started to go off track. After initially steering clear of cameos, despite shooting on-location in Nashville, suddenly every member of the Grand Ole Opry started popping up to squeeze in a line or two. Juliette's mother appeared and brought a little too much crazy, while Rayna's husband became the mayor and left her for Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Season 2 became even more scattered as the focus shifted to ancillary characters like Clare Bowen's Scarlett and Sam Palladio's Gunnar. Next thing you know, there are assassination plots and a murder-suicide, Juliette is ostracized for questioning the existence of God, and Rayna finds her Tim McGraw in Will Chase's Luke.
Enough! While it's fine that the show has some soap opera elements — so do Scandal and Grey's Anatomy — Nashville has gone so far off-course that some fans have already abandoned it. It's not completely a lost cause, though. With the second season winding down, there are still ways to fix it.
For starters, keep the cameos to a minimum. Just because Rascal Flatts or some NASCAR driver is available doesn't mean that you need to put them on the show. Once and a while is fine, but not every episode... and not when there really isn't any purpose to their being around. Next, lose the political intrigue. No offense to Eric Close, but we don't really care about Mayor Teddy.
Most importantly, put the focus back on Rayna and Juliette. Britton and Panettiere aren't just capable actresses, at their best they are both mesmerizing. Preventing them from engaging with each other — whether in conflict or in country congeniality — is like moving Scandal's Olivia Pope out of D.C.; the whole reason for the show would be lost. Keeping Juliette down too long is a mistake, just as it would be to tone down her ego or her conniving. We don't need her in a happy relationship with Jonathan Jackson's Avery... we need her using all of her assets to get back to the top.
Similarly, Britton needs a good, juicy storyline to sink her teeth into. Having a happy and contented Rayna is not in the best interest of the show. She should be scraping and clawing to maintain her career, not chit-chatting with other country music royalty about her fledgling record label.
The show is teetering on the brink of oblivion — or, worse, irrelevance — and needs to act fast to bring back into focus the stories that drew us in at first. Otherwise, it will be a tough sell to get viewers to come back for season three… if there even is one.
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Every hero needs a villain, but sometimes a TV show creates a character that just becomes so irritating that you just want to stop watching the show altogether. This is also known as The Poochie Effect, from that episode of The Simpsons where Homer's new rad-surfer-dog character ruins The Itchy and Scratchy Show. Here's a handful of current and recent examples.
Sue Sylvester, Glee
We have nothing but love for Jane Lynch, and certainly Sue is not the only problem this maddeningly uneven show has had over the years. But Sue Sylvester is such a smug, preening irritant that she's best enjoyed in small doses. Instead, she became the show's breakout star in the first season and the writers responded by giving her tracksuited self more and more screen time.
Sophie Kerchinsky, 2 Broke Girls
Again, it's a stretch to say that 2 Broke Girls would actually be a good show without the presence of Jennifer Coolidge's broad, one-note portrayal of a blowsy Polish housekeeper. But like Lynch -- who Coolidge was so good playing against in Christopher Guest's fantastic Best in Show way back when -- Coolidge has had what should have been a small guest role expanded far too much. It's taking away from the show's primary charms. Which, admittedly, mostly involve staring at Kat Dennings' chest and Beth Behrs' legs. But still.
Christopher Pelant, Bones
Bones has never done well with the season-long villain arcs, because they detract from the show's essentially light and frothy tone. (For a series that regularly features corpses in varying states of decay, Bones has a surprisingly His Girl Friday kinda feel.) But Christopher Pelant is just annoying. For one thing, his supposed ability as a super-hacker to use basically any item more complicated than a toaster as a surveillance device strains credulity and turns him into a cartoon super-villain who doesn't seem to have any motives for his actions other than being a pest. The whiny, juvenile feel of Andrew Leeds' portrayal of the character just makes him come off as an obnoxious little brat, and the sooner he's gone, the better.
Scarlett O'Connor, Nashville
Clare Bowen is a perfectly capable singer and actress, and I sort of get why showrunner Callie Khouri wanted to have the character of Scarlett in her show, to be able to show a third singer at a different level of her career. The thing is, the glammy soap that is the entire Rayna and Juliette show is more than enough show in and of itself, and shoehorning in Scarlett's comparatively drab storylines just stops the show dead. The frustrating thing is, Bowen's clearly a better singer than either Connie Britton or Hayden Panettiere, so it's a shame she can't be better integrated into the series.
Mark Brendanawicz, Parks and Recreation
Finally, here's an example of how much a show can improve when it cuts out the dead weight. Mark Brandanawicz, whose sole character trait was that he was fed up with both his job and his life, literally did not fit in the Parks and Recreation world. As a love interest for Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope, Paul Schneider came off as a cold fish, and his dead-eyed ennui wasn't anywhere near as funny as Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, who was both funnier and more cynical. Although the producers later claimed that they had planned to write Mark off the show all along and that they also planned to bring him back, the brilliant double-team of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott made Schneider surplus to requirements. The show became 100% better as soon as their characters appeared.
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It's time for a swan song. Nashville's music guru T Bone Burnett will not return for the country music show's second season.
The hit series is saying goodbye to Burnett, who served as executive music producer for the ABC drama, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Burnett, husband of Nashville creator Callie Khouri, administered over 100 original jams and produced dozens of hit recordings for the show, which stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. The music extrodinaire also directed the musical component by scoring the 21-episode-long first season of Nashville.
Buddy Miller, who worked under Burnett on the show, will step up to take on the role Burnett's leaving behind. Burnett's manager Tells THR, "[Burnett's] slate of other film, television and recording projects would have made it impossible for him to return for a second season."
But you won't have to go too long without hearing a Burnett-scored soundtrack. The melodic music talent is getting amped up for the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, which stars Oscar Issac as Davis alongside Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake.Follow Cori on Twitter @gimmegimmeCOR |Follow Hollywood.com on Twitter @Hollywood_com More:The Dark Day Scarlett on 'Nashville' Wore Black'Nashville' Recap: Family Secrets, Gross Hookups'Nashville' Recap: The Return of the Diva
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Music legend T-Bone Burnett is leaving his behind-the-scenes role on country music TV series Nashville to focus on other projects. The critically-acclaimed producer, who is married to Nashville creator Callie Khouri, served as the hit show's music guru throughout the first season, working on more than 100 original recordings and mentoring stars including Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
However, the in-demand hitmaker is now quitting his job as executive music producer to work on a new album with Sir Elton John as well as the soundtrack for the Coen brothers' new movie Inside Llewyn Davis, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A statement from Burnett's manager reads, "His slate of other film, television and recording projects would have made it impossible for him to return for a second season. He became close to many of the actors on Nashville, and wishes all of them - as well as the show's producers, writers and crew - all the best with the coming season."

While the cast of Nashville didn't give acoustic performances of any of their original hit country songs (boo!), they did gather onstage together for a PaleyFest panel Saturday afternoon to tease some major relationship changes in the next few episodes (yay!). When the country-music show returns with all new episodes March 27, we'll finally get to see the outcome of Scarlett (Clare Bowen) and Gunnar's (Sam Palladio) grief-induced hookup.
"It’s getting freaky right now," Palladio says. "What a crazy situation to be in. They’re in a phase right that’s bringing them to a new level. Gunnar’s in a really traumatic place [after the death of his brother] and Scarlett is being that emotional bedrock for him. Bed rock, hey!"
All puns aside, Bowen tried to rationalize what made Scarlett finally take their relationship to the next level at such an inopportune time. "Grief makes people do very odd things," Bowen says. "The person you’re supposed to be with may not turn up at the most convenient, appropriate time. So you’ll have to wait and see what the aftermath is like."
And while Gunnar and Scarlett's relationship is being taken to new levels, the relationship at the core of Nashville is as complicated as ever. Rayna (Connie Britton) and Deacon (Charles Esten) have a long history, and things haven't gotten any easier with the announcement of Rayna's upcoming divorce and their heated elevator kiss. But Britton and Esten aren't optimistic that they can get a happily ever after. "She’s the one for me, but does that always work out, is that always the best?" Esten says. "That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work out but we’re always trying."
RELATED: 'Nashville' Recap: Scarlett's Cupcake Controversy
Britton agrees that their journey won't be an easy one. "It’s a very grown up relationship," Britton says. "We can go in so many different directions and we have. We can just rip each other apart in so many ways. But there’s always this foundation between the two of them."
While Britton and Esten couldn't reveal details about their relationship, we did get some scoop on what's coming up for Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) in the wake of her marriage annulment. "One marriage under my belt, a few 'carcasses,'" Panettiere says. "She’s mostly trying to rekindle the relationship with her mother and she loves to take two steps forward and one step back. Her life is a roller coaster."
But Panettiere did tease that someone new may be coming into Juliette's life. "A new character is going to come in and try to help this relationship, but whether or not that comes to fruition is questionable," Panettiere says. "Some clothes might come off in the meantime." She also revealed that one episode in particular will feature a lot of naked Juliette!
Interestingly enough, creator Callie Khouri also teased that the moment where Avery (Jonathon Jackson) bumps into Juliette (and tries to turn it into a pick up line) in the pilot might be a good foreshadowing of things to come. Could we possibly be seing an Avery/Juliette romance?
We'll find out when Nashville returns on Wednesday, March 27 at 10 PM ET/PT on ABC.
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[Photo Credit: Katherine Bomboy-Thorton/ABC]
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In the wee hours of Thursday morning, the nominees for the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced. This means that before the famous residents of Los Angeles were able to adjust their eyes to the sunrise or even brush their teeth, they were poised for a pretty darn good day.
Lena Dunham, who has had a whirlwind year thanks to the critical and popular success of her HBO comedy Girls, and Homeland's breakout star Damian Lewis are excited to be among this year's bunch of talented nominees.
“This is an incredible honor and the most wonderful ending to an amazing year," Dunham, who snagged nominations in the Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical and Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical categories, says in a statement to Hollywood.com. "Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press. I’m thrilled to share this with our amazing cast and crew."
Lewis says of his Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama nomination, "Just so happy to have a really good reason to stop Christmas shopping for a day. Opening a bottle immediately to celebrate my Golden Globe nomination for Homeland. I'm thrilled that Claire and Mandy were also nominated for their performances, and look forward to celebrating with the whole cast in Los Angeles in January. Thank you HFPA!"
Hayden Panettiere made a splash this year on ABC's Nashville. In regards to her Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama nomination Panettiere says, “I am so shocked and thankful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this nomination. Callie Khouri created such an amazing and juicy character in Juliette Barnes making her so much fun to play. This show is a dream to work on with this incredible cast. It's such an honor.”
Panettiere's fellow nominee Connie Britton said, “I am so grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press to be nominated. It is a huge honor, and I'm thrilled for Hayden and I to represent everyone who has been working so devotedly and tirelessly on Nashville.”
Benedict Cumberbatch says of his Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television nomination for his role on Sherlock, "I'm so happy and honoured to be included with such great actors and perfomances. Thank you so much. Christmas has come early."
[Photo Credit: Jojo Whilden/HBO]
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That good ole country spirit is holding strong at ABC, y'all! And with that comes the full-season order for Nashville, the freshman drama series surrounding Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere as rival country divas.
A rep for ABC has confirmed to Hollywood.com that the alphabet network has given a back-nine order to the country music drama, filling out the remainder of the season. The show comes from acclaimed Oscar winner Callie Khouri. Before the show even hit the airwaves, the critically acclaimed Nashville garnered a 2.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic with 8.93 million viewers. And while it fell below expectations, it has continued to averaged 6 million viewers per week.
One thing working in Nashville's favor is its cachet of music created for the series with the iconic producer T-Bone Burnett. This, in the same vein as Glee, allows the network to tap into additional revenue by making the songs available for download.
Nashville joins several other ABC shows who also recently received full-season orders—including rookie comedy The Neighbors and Shonda Rhimes' drama Scandal. Newbies Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue are still awaiting full-season status, though ABC has already picked up additional scripts for both series. Nashville airs Wednesday nights at 10PM EST/PST on ABC.
Are you a Nashville fan? Happy that Tami Taylor Connie Britton's show will live to sing another day? Let us know in the comments!
[Photo Credit: ABC]
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The actress, who played a cheerleader in sci-fi show Heroes, will swap her pom-poms for a microphone for her lead role in the upcoming drama set in the Nashville, Tennessee music scene.
Panettiere's character Juliette Barnes will be forced to tour with a fading veteran singer in order to revive her flagging career.
Confirming the news in a Twitter.com post, Panettiere writes, "I'm thrilled to announce I'm doing the new ABC show Nashville! I can't express how humbled and thrilled I am to be a part of this!"
Jonathan Jackson has also been cast in Nashville, written by Thelma &amp; Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri.

Moved to Nashville, TN where she acted in theater productions and supported herself as a waitress

Feature directorial debut with "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"; also wrote adapted screenplay

Summary

Khouri began as a producer of music videos and production coordinator of the "Rigoletto" segment of the film "Aria" (1987) before writing the script for the controversial "Thelma & Louise" (1991). Praised as an exuberant, liberating, feminist buddy film and female take on road movies by a majority of critics, the feature was also reviled by others as a pseudo-feminist revenge fantasy in which the two central characters shoot and kill a man with his hands raised in surrender, rob a convenience store and choose suicide over facing the consequences of their actions. Ultimately, critical and popular favor came down on Khouri's side, with the writer winning several awards, most notably an Oscar. Whatever the screenplay's merits or compromises, it did raise issues about gender politics which were hotly debated by both media and public alike. That feat was not repeated by Khouri's subsequent screenplay for "Something to Talk About" (1995), a popular and generally well-received comedy-drama about a woman's world turned upside down by her husband's infidelity. The feminist sentiments were still there, but the tone was inescapably gentler and more eager to please.

Name

Role

Comments

Virginia Khouri

Mother

David Warfield

Husband

Married in 1990; divorced

Education

Name

Strasburg Institute

Purdue University

Notes

"I wanted to see what happens when you put women behind the wheel, put the guns in their hands. When you go to the movies, you always watch the woman who is victimized or trying not to die of some terminal illness. That's not much fun. I wrote it so women would walk out feeling good about themselves." - Callie Khouri on "Thelma & Louise" to USAToday, June 6, 1991

She received a special award from New York Women in Communications (1992)

Before she got her showbiz break, Khouri waited on Gloria Steinem while she was working as a waitress in Beverly Hills: Steinem gave Khouri words of encouragement after Khouri thanked her for all she has done to help women